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Second-year Academy member Callum Brodrick says seeing former graduates awarded summer contracts acts as the perfect motivation as the class of 2014 begin their winter programme.

The young batsman hit the headlines in 2013 when, on 12th man duty for the first team, he took a crucial catch to remove England’s Eoin Morgan in Derbyshire’s LV= County Championship Division One triumph against Middlesex.

Brodrick will rejoin the Cricket Derbyshire Academy in partnership with University of Derby for a second year in 2014 and he hopes a successful winter will offer him more opportunities with both the Second XI and Karl Krikken’s side next season.

“I’m looking forward to the winter training,” he said. “I’ve kind of missed it during our break but happy to be back and can’t wait to get started again.

“It’s a great philosophy to have assisting the Academy players come through. There’s a great ethos in the Academy and at the Club as a whole.

“We inspire to be part of the first team and this programme will defiantly give us a great opportunity to achieve that. And seeing Academy graduates get contracts with the Club and doing well is a bonus for us as we attempt to do the same.

“It was wonderful for me to be part of the first team last year as 12th man for the fixture against Middlesex and to take the catch of Eoin Morgan was great. There were a few nerves, I was stunned at first and then everyone came running towards me. It was a great feeling.

“Hopefully after a good winter I can play a lot more Second team games in 2014 and be around the first team as much as possible as the summer goes on.”